Fancy Alien Elevators Can Be Dangerous (T version)
by DorothyOz
Summary: The Atlantis Expedition is having a party, and Jennifer wants to go. However, she gets trapped in the transporter with a bottle of Tequila, a bag of Cheetos, and certain Lt. Colonel of messy hair.
1. Chapter 1

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

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**A/N: please read**

**Title:** Fancy Alien Elevators Can Be Dangerous (T version)

**Summary:** The Atlantis Expedition is having a party, and Jennifer wants to go. However, she gets trapped in the transporter with a bottle of Tequila, a bag of Cheetos, and certain Lt. Colonel of messy hair.

**Genre:** Romance, humor

**Season/episode:** SG: Atlantis post season 5

**Spoilers:** Stargate movie, Stargate: SG1 (all seasons and movie), and SG: Atlantis (all seasons)

**Pairing:** John Sheppard/Jennifer Keller. Past Jennifer Keller/Rodney McKay

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Sexual situations, alcohol use

**Disclaimer:** Read profile

**Acknowledgements:** This story was inspired by _"Tequila and Cheetos" by MissJeeve_ that can be found in AO3 (archiveofourown dot /works /155347). It's written to be a sequel, and therefore the events of her story match what happens in the first chapter. It's, however, written from Keller's POV of the story ("Tequila and Cheetos" showed Sheppard's POV) and the underlined dialogue matches her story.

From chapter 2 to the end, the story is a sequel that follows with what happened after.

Thanks to **Amycat8733** for beta-reading this story for me.

**Comments:** There is a M version of this story here (go to my profile), and in my AO3 account (archiveofourown dot /works /1679162 /chapters /3567338).

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**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

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**Chapter 1: Trapped and drunk**

Once the expedition returned to Pegasus, after saving Earth from the Wraith, they have soon started to reestablish their commercial relationships with different people of the galaxy, including but not only Athos, to ensure their supplies of food, plants to manufacture drugs, and other necessities.

Halling had introduced them to a new group of people they have recently meet, and that for some reason gifted with alcohol their new trading partners to celebrate the first deal made. The Sicelons – or Sicilians, like most people had started calling them – were in need of medical attention to fight something similar to the flu, and in exchange the expedition had gotten a good supply of fresh fruit. Deal made, they had presented the expedition with massive amounts of alcohol, remarkably similar to Vodka, as a gift.

The expedition had been under a lot of stress, and someone had decided that they needed a party to improve the morale of everyone, and so the Sicelon Vodka had ran freely accompanied by music.

Everyone thought that one of the scientists had saved the liquor from Woolsey's excuse of safety tests' to make it disappear. However, Jennifer had a different theory. She had seen General O'Neill, who was visiting the expedition to "make sure they had returned safely to Pegasus and Sheppard was keeping the city and himself in one piece", commiserating with Lorne. An excuse to visit the city and the galaxy. The man was a true explorer and couldn't pass the opportunity to visit their fair Galaxy again now that they were once again properly settled in. She was convinced he had been the one to suggest the improve-the-morale-of-the-expedition-party, and so he had hidden the alcohol and then provided it as soon as the music started.

Jennifer had to agree with the General. They needed a party and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. At least, she did after her relationship with Rodney ended.

During their time on Earth, their relationship had deteriorated steadily. They had discovered they were very similar and yet very different, in all the worst possible ways. They had finally given up the day Atlantis had flown back to Pegasus two months ago. Now, Jennifer felt good and happy with her decision. It had hurt at the time, but she had moved on quite easily, which was probably a sign that their relationship hadn't been as satisfying for her as it should have. She refused to dwell on that today. Rodney, however, seemed to take the break up worse than she did, he was acting angry towards her, and he didn't want to be friends with her. Jennifer was hurt. She considered him a good man and a good friend, and while she didn't want to continue their relationship, she wanted to be friends with him. The tension was getting to her, though, and this party and the alcohol had sounded like a blessing.

Grateful for the party, she had dug her favorite top and short skirt out of her drawer where they had been unused since she left college behind – at least it felt that way – and she had gone to the party ready to drink, dance, and go a little crazy. She deserved it, and she needed it. Sadly, the doctor, her bottle of tequila, and her bag of Cheetos had ended trapped in a transporter when it had refused to open its door for her.

"There goes the party," the disheartened doctor complained to the empty transporter. She cursed the Ancients because they didn't install some kind of manual way to open the door as a safety precaution, the technicians because she was sure they had touched something they shouldn't have, and the more tequila she drank the more people she cursed. Rodney for trapping her there on purpose, whoever was controlling the music that was too loud for anyone to hear her calling for help…

That was until her night took one very right turn. Someone opened the door of the broken transporter, probably trying to get home. She shouted, trying to stop him from closing it and locking them both in the damned transporter. However, he was too drunk to hear her in time and soon she was confined in the little room with John Sheppard, who looked positively yummy – the most appropriate word her drunken mind could come up with – in a button down black shirt and jeans. Jennifer thought he should have lost the t-shirt he was wearing under it; the damned thing stopped her from seeing his hairy upper chest.

Maybe the lustful thoughts about the Military Commander of Atlantis that assaulted her brain should have clued her to the possibility of being drunk. The fact that this didn't cross her mind at all meant she definitely was drunk.

He blinked at her, surprised to find the doctor seated on the floor of the transporter with a bottle of tequila. "What are you…?"

Jennifer stared at him with what she hoped was annoyance. "Transporter's broken."

"Broken?" he repeated dumbly. He was looking at Jennifer with a weird expression; he seemed to find it amusing to see her drunk. Her glare wasn't effective, obviously.

She tried glaring at him with anger, but the amused look didn't disappear so the doctor guessed she was too drunk for it to work and gave up. "I was trying to go the party, and it wouldn't let me out."

Sheppard pivoted on his feet, looking around the small cubicle. His face told the doctor that he was thinking, trying to come up with a way out.

"_Cute,_" she thought. Out loud, however, she voiced her suspicion that Rodney had programmed it to lock her up, and prevent her from going to the party.

"He wouldn't do that," Sheppard defended his friend and teammate. "Least not without bragging about it to someone who'd come let you out."

The Colonel tried to get the keypad to work for him and touched it repeatedly, each time a little more forcefully than the previous one. He was getting frustrated with the machine too. "Not Rodney," he concluded after a while and gave up.

"Unless he's mad at you, too," Jennifer argued looking extremely frustrated and sad.

Sheppard sat on the floor and stretched his legs out on the opposite side of the small room, and Jennifer felt a mixture of excitement because she could admire his body from where she was, and disappointment because he was too far way. In retrospective, that was the second warning her body sent her brain about being drunk. Her brain simply ignored it, and noticed how nice his arms looked with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up over his elbows.

"He's not that mad," again he defended the scientist. "He's just, you know, whiney."

Jennifer had to agree with the assessment the military man made. She nodded and let her frustration out with a sigh.

Obviously, Sheppard was drunk too, because that Mensa brain of his supplied him with the brilliant idea of yelling for help over the awfully loud music.

She told him so while resisting the urge to be sarcastic. She was frustrated after being inside of the Ancient gizmo from hell for two hours, but that wasn't his fault.

"I have tequila," she added waving the bottle for him to see. "I was going to share but it's mine." She let her body fall back against the wall tiredly, and her bag of Cheetos made a noise to remind her of its existence. Pulling the bag from behind her, she offered him the treat.

"I was wondering why your mouth is orange," Sheppard said casually, while grabbing a handful of them.

Somehow, they started talking about Rodney and their broken relationship when Jennifer asked if people thought that she hadn't gone to the party due to said break-up.

"People were too drunk to care. And I think Rodney's telling people he broke up with you," the Colonel told her. He seemed to want to be reassuring but he wasn't doing a good job, as far as the blonde was concerned.

"It was like a shi-shi-shi-multaenoush quitting and getting fired."

"I don't want to know, Jennifer," he pleaded raising his hands in a begging gesture.

The physician accepted the plea easily enough. She didn't want to talk about Rodney with the gorgeous pilot anyway. Clearly, her brain had surrendered control to her hormonal system.

She decided to offer him tequila because, well, because she was drunk and it felt like the right thing to do. Sheppard accepted the offer and slid along the wall until he was by her side.

"_God, he smells good, masculine… oh, so manly,_" she thought and let her eyes wander over his body discretely. Or at least, she hoped it was discrete. He didn't give any indication that he noticed it, but for such a sexy guy, he was noticeably clueless.

Jennifer didn't have any glasses; they had to share the bottle. Easy to say, not so easy to do when drunk. They struggled a little over it and he lost his equilibrium enough to fall over her lap.

"Comfy?" Jennifer asked glancing down at him. He looked so cute lying there, all sleepy and carefree. She had never seen him drunk or this relaxed in her time in Atlantis.

He made a lazy noise to agree, and then after making quite an effort to lift his upper body from her lap, he informed her that he was going to take his clothes off. Jennifer wasn't going to stop the man if he wanted to strip. "_Who was she to stop him from displaying his beautiful body to her?_" her hormone saturated brain supplied the excuse.

He considered carefully how many pieces of clothing he wanted to take off, and finally he left on only his boxers. Again he didn't notice, but Jennifer stared quite blatantly. She was his doctor, therefore she had already seen his body, but this didn't dismiss her enjoyment in the slightest.

"Hot," he said feeling the need to explain himself to the doctor. The small room felt clustered, hot, and damp with both of them in there.

"I agree," she answered for an entirely different reason. John missed the lustful leer of the woman, and the innuendo completely, though.

She could feel the heat even more than before, and her brain, functioning for a micro-second informed her that it was probably the sight of the almost naked Colonel and not the actual temperature of the room what made her feel that way. She racked her tank up exposing her stomach to mitigate the feeling. It didn't work, but it earned her a short and furtive glance from the attractive man sharing imprisonment with her. She listed it as a victory. She was his doctor after all, and she knew perfectly well how little action the man had had in recent times. Not for lack of offers because he was one of the most desired bachelors of the city. Whatever the reason, and regardless of Rodney's claims, John Sheppard was no Kirk, and the doctor found his attention bolstering her ego.

John sat back down close to the doctor. Jennifer enjoyed his proximity, and the opportunity to study his body without having to stitch it up. He either wasn't bothered by her staring or he wasn't aware of it.

Or so the physician thought until he said the words that changed their relationship, and that made her night a success. "We should do body shots. We're sweating enough."

"Okay," she answered shocked both by his words and his boldness. Nonetheless, she could have Atlantis' most sought bachelor, and she was not going to miss the chance. She had been way too long without sex, he was deliciously sexy, and the man deserved some happiness, even if it was temporary. She didn't fool herself into thinking he was honestly interested in her. He probably was as drunk and horny as she was.

Decision made, she spilled some tequila over her stomach, and savored the feeling of his eyes glued to the drops of alcohol traveling over her skin. "Well?"

"I didn't expect you to do that," John admitted licking his lips.

"_Like what you see, eh?_" Jennifer thought lustfully. Her horny brain told her to say something to get him to jump the small distance between watching and doing, though the best thing she came up with was, "You told me to."

He nodded, agreeing with her, and then he was licking her skin tentatively, afraid that she was going to push him away. Nothing farther from what she wished to do with him.

Soon he became more and more confident in his actions. Her consent evident in how Jennifer was holding his head in place, her fingers buried in his hair.

She didn't know who started it but next thing she knew, they were having sex in the transporter. The couple spent the night together in the small cubicle giving into their passion, and need for each other.

Later, they got redressed, and seated on the floor as close together as humanly possible. Jennifer grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him down and over her, inviting him to lay his head on her thighs again. He had seemed to enjoy the proximity and intimacy of said position during the night on different occasions, and the doctor was happy to oblige.

He smiled grateful, and settled comfortable lying on his side, his face looking at her, his hands searching for the skin of her stomach. His fingers ran over it smoothly, and when her fingers started playing with his hair, he closed his eyes. His caress slowed down progressively until it stopped completely, and Jennifer knew he had fallen asleep.

He was definitively the cutest pilot in the expedition, she decided. He was so relaxed and sated. It was a unique view; Jennifer thought that probably no one in the expedition had seen him this relaxed ever. Jennifer fell asleep with the comforting weight of the colonel's body over her, observing the very active and dangerous man utterly calm, limp, and sleeping like a child trusting on her.


	2. Chapter 2

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

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**Chapter 3: Who Found The Doctor and The Colonel?**

Next time John and Jennifer opened their eyes, it was with a start when the doors of the transporter slid open abruptly.

At the door a speechless and shocked Woolsey and a smirking General O'Neill stared at the couple. Their rumpled clothes, Jennifer's top shredded on the floor while she was wearing what was clearly John's shirt, and their compromising position gave them away.

"I have to admire your taste, Sheppard. However, doc, yours is questionable," O'Neill said making real efforts to control his laugher.

"Sirs!" the couple exclaimed simultaneously, and stood up abruptly almost losing their balance. They held to each other and the wall to stop the fall, and eventually found their feet.

"Why are you two here? I'm sure you have rooms… Much more private…" the General commented casually waving his arms around. The light reprimand for the chosen location was as clear as the acceptance of their actions in O'Neill's voice.

"Broken," Sheppard uttered sheepishly. "I mean, the transporter is broken and it trapped us here," he tried again this time sounding a lot more rational than before. Jennifer was partly hidden behind the colonel, looking utterly embarrassed and red as a tomato… or a pomaku, the Pegasus version of them.

"Oh, in that case you're forgiven Sheppard," O'Neill said taking pity on the young physician. "C'mon, out."

The couple heard the order clearly and marched out of the transporter quickly.

"Doc," Jack called, and pointed with his head to a tiny purple piece of clothing that lay on the floor forgotten.

Jennifer groaned with mortification and hid her face in John's shoulder. John snorted to hide his own embarrassment and went back into the cubicle to recover the doctor's panties. With them in his pocket, and holding Jennifer's hand, he directed her as far away from there as fast as possible.

John heard the General laugh as they ran away.

* * *

"Richard. Richard. Richard!" O'Neill called his name progressively louder until the frozen bureaucrat reacted to him and came back to life.

O'Neill smirked at Richard with humor and a little disbelief. The politician couldn't – or at least shouldn't - be surprised that the people in his expedition, isolated from Earth and everything they knew, would pair up. Should even be less surprising after last's night party, and the amount of stress they've been subjected to in recent months. When he had ordered Lorne to store the alien alcohol and bring it out for the party because the expedition needed it to improve their morale, he hadn't been lying. He honestly believed they needed to relax and have some fun to decompress. He avoided shrinks like the plague, but he was sure if he were to ask her, the Atlantis shrink would agree with him.

"Were they… you know?" Woolsey croaked, tremendously embarrassed or shocked, O'Neill didn't know for sure.

"They were having a picnic, Richard, and used Keller's panties for a game of steal the flag," he answered sarcastically. "Relax. They were sleeping when we opened the door. Your eyes are still pure."

"Funny, Jack, very funny," Woolsey answered slightly recuperated from the shock.

"Seeing as you feel better, Richard, let's put a warning sign on the door, and go back to your office. There's a reason you forced me to be ready for work at… Oh-six-fucking-hundred."

The General signaled a marine to stand at the door of the transporter, and ordered him to put a warning on its door until one of the scientists won his or her battle against the hangover and could fix it.

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and sergeant, not one word about who was in there. Got me?"

"Yes, sir."

O'Neill forced Woolsey to move and they walked all the way to the politician's office to get on with their work. He hoped Sheppard was having fun; the man could really use some.

* * *

The couple ran through the empty corridors of the city towards the living area. It was only six in the morning, and everyone was probably sleeping off their hangovers. No one had tried to use the transporter, obviously, or they would have been discovered when the party had ended. Whenever that had been, because it seemed they had slept through it.

At some point the doctor took control over their direction, and soon they were both in her quarters.

"God, that was embarrassing!" she exclaimed, and burst out laughing hysterically.

"Relax. The General didn't look bothered by it. I think he found it amusing," Sheppard answered.

"Yes, but did you see Woolsey's face?!" She laughed even harder.

"I think we broke him," John agreed smiling remembering their boss' face of pure, unadulterated shock.

"Would you hate me if I said it was a little exciting?" Jennifer asked suddenly. She was undressing again and turning back the bed.

"Exciting? No… okay… it was a little exciting. And Woolsey's face was worth it," Sheppard admitted staring at her.

She was naked in front of him, looking at him expectantly. Was he supposed to strip too?

"I'm gonna get in bed. I need more sleep, and in a warm and comfy bed rather than the floor. Would you join me?" she asked shyly, and John got the impression that his hesitation had offended her.

He smiled brightly at her trying to reassure her, and did a quick job of his clothes to join her under the sheets.

The bed wasn't very big, and they had to lie pretty close together to fit properly. Jennifer rested her head on his chest, and her right hand joined it to tease the hair that covered it.

John groaned softly, approvingly, and encircled her with his arms caressing her back and arms. Their soothing touches lulled them both to sleep within minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

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**Chapter 4: Broken or not?**

Lunch time arrived to the city of the Ancients, and its inhabitants slowly reappeared in the common and work areas of the city. Most of them walked around like zombies nursing big coffee mugs to fight their hangovers.

The technicians assigned to repair the transporter studied it, checking all its components puzzled at not finding anything wrong with it. Zelenka murmured in Czech frantically complaining about drunken soldiers not knowing how to use the dammed thing.

Finally, after much complaining and fussing around the machine, Zelenka gave up, and went to report to Woolsey about the supposedly broken transporter.

He found both General O'Neill and Mr. Woolsey in the expedition leader's office. They wanted to know why the transporter had malfunctioned the previous night. Not only had Sheppard and Keller been trapped inside – something that was being kept under wraps for now to preserve the privacy of the Military Commander and the Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis – but it had not let anyone in when the drunken party goers wanted to go back home.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Woolsey, but it is not broken. It works fine. I have no idea why it would have not let anyone in last night when they wanted to leave the party. They were all probably too drunk to walk," the engineer complained.

"You weren't sober precisely, Radek. I've been told you danced some very daring songs and moves, and sang loudly and horribly, I may add," O'Neill teased the scientist.

Zelenka blushed lightly, and nodded admitting to it. "I walked home to clear my head. My guess is that whoever tried to use it was completely drunk, and couldn't use it."

"Don't think so. I've had the marines ask around. More than fifty drunken scientists and military tried to use that particular transporter to get home. It didn't work for anyone. They were forced to walk home or to one of the other transporters. Also, two people were trapped in it," the General argued.

"It didn't let them out? Or other people in? Why?" Zelenka asked puzzled. "It's working perfectly fine now. Not a glitch, General."

"Could the transporter react to subconscious mental orders?" O'Neill asked starting to formulate a theory.

"Maybe. Ancient technology does not always respond to mental commands, but it often does, even if we previously didn't know it could. I don't know, General. Who was inside?"

"You think Colonel Sheppard didn't want to get out?" Woolsey asked confused.

"Sheppard was inside?" Zelenka asked with a thoughtful expression. "His ATA gene is extremely strong. It is possible he had given an unconscious order to the transporter to not work. But why would he do that? Who was with him?"

"Great job, Richard! Now the gossip will be a nightmare. I specifically ordered the jarhead warding the transporter to keep his mouth shut, and you go and blurt it out," O'Neill scolded.

"Sorry. This is a surprising revelation," Woolsey apologized knowing that the General was indeed right.

"Do not worry, General, Mr. Woolsey, I will not say anything," Zelenka bowed honestly knowing how much the Colonel valued his privacy.

"He and a lady were trapped in there for hours," O'Neill answered, still unwilling to reveal the lady's identity. "They never went home because it didn't let them out, or so he said."

"It is possible Colonel Sheppard wanted privacy, and unconsciously ordered the transporter to keep everyone out, but why trap them in? It doesn't really make sense," the Czech scientist answered.

"I don't know. Maybe he was drunk and the machine received confusing orders?" the General suggested.

"It is possible. If it's true, it would be the first time the transporters gave any indication of responding to mental commands. I would like to speak with the Colonel once he wakes up. Maybe he can help me figure it out. I can keep it quiet, if you want."

"Very well. When he comes back to work ask him about it," Woolsey ordered. "However, I must agree with General O'Neill, it is wise to keep the incident and Colonel Sheppard's private life private."

"Yes sir," Zelenka said sincerely.

"It's lunch time, people," O'Neill said and walked out of Woolsey's office expecting the other two to follow him.

The trio walked together to the cafeteria; Woolsey and Zelenka knew they had been ordered to take a break or leave him alone long enough to eat in peace. Richard had learned a long time ago that sometimes arguing with Jack O'Neill was futile; and annoying him only got you grief. Coolidge's food was spicy – he hates spicy food - for a month after he offended Teyla by calling her 'honey'; Woolsey had no doubt O'Neill was behind that.

* * *

The mess hall was full of people suffering from a terrible hangover, getting lunch, or at least coffee in a desperate attempt to survive the afternoon. Rodney and Ronon were no exception. They were seated at one of the tables on the balcony drinking copious amounts of coffee and eating spaghetti in complete silence when Teyla joined them.

She smiled at their appearance and sat down quietly to avoid aggravating their headaches. "Have you seen John today?" she asked her teammates.

"No. He left pretty early last night but he still hasn't come out of his room," Ronon answered her.

"Kirk probably attacked again and he's Kirking his hangover out," Rodney suggested cynically.

"He left alone," Ronon argued giving the scientist a death glare. Sheppard hated when McKay said things like that.

"Maybe he is not feeling well. He has worked very hard to get Atlantis back to Pegasus, and then to reconnect with our allies, he is exhausted and in need of rest," Teyla defended her friend while glaring at Rodney for making assumptions. Teyla knew Sheppard was no Kirk, regardless of Rodney's claims, and that he was offended by the nickname even if he never complained about it.

General O'Neill, Woolsey, and Zelenka walked towards them with their trays full of food.

"Hangover much, McKay? Your genius brain can't hold liquor?" O'Neill mocked the scientist in a somewhat friendly voice.

"Funny, General," the Canadian retorted, and the General smirked amused.

"General, do you know if John is feeling well?" Teyla asked concerned about her friend. "We have yet to see him today, and I have been worried about him recently. He works too hard, and is stressed."

"He's fine. I agree with you, though, the man needs to relax and have some fun. The last few months have been exhausting for everyone, but he carries the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders," O'Neill answered honestly to the Athosian. "He is resting today. I gave him the day off."

"You did?" Woolsey asked surprised and a little annoyed at not being told.

"Yeah… Well, I haven't told him yet, but I don't think it will be necessary," Jack said waving his hands around to make his point.

"He's not here anyway, and he does need some time off," Woolsey agreed with O'Neill.

"Why can Sheppard spend his day Kirking and I have to work?" McKay complained.

"Kirking?" O'Neill asked raising his eyebrow. If the marine had spread gossip about last night, he was going to personally teach him how much damage an old General could still do in a sparring session.

Teyla and Ronon sent twin angry glares to the scientist. "Rodney is convinced that John is constantly finding women to…"

"Teyla, I know what he means. What I would like to know is why he thinks this is the case?" O'Neill cut her off when he noticed that she was struggling to find an appropriate word.

"No reason. McKay is jealous because people like Sheppard and not him," Ronon grunted.

"Okay."

"See, see, I was right! He's Kirking again!" McKay started gloating. "He wanted to know if we knew something specific. Who did he hook up that you want it to be a secret? He was the one trapped in the transporter with a woman! He probably did it on purpose and the monkeys that were trying to fix it when it wasn't broken had been driving me crazy all morning for no reason…"

"They hadn't bothered you once, Rodney. I was the one working on it the entire morning. You've only complained about your hangover and yelled at everyone around you," Zelenka argued annoyed with his friend. The Colonel had been alone for the many years he had known him. If he wanted to find a lover he was well within his rights and he was a very private man. His friend surely could respect that.

"I don't think it's any of your business if Sheppard is… dating… anyone," O'Neill said in a firm voice letting McKay know he wasn't allowed to keep pushing the issue.

"Dating?" Rodney asked shocked.

"Whatever," Jack answered shrugging his shoulders. "As long as it doesn't break the frat regs, it's no one's business who Sheppard decided to date, or sleep with. Hell, he could sleep with a different person every day of the week, and it still would not be your or my business!"

"But…"

"Shut up McKay," Ronon ordered, and the scientist snapped his mouth shut.

Nonetheless, he mumbled under his breath something about Sheppard being Kirk and always getting hot women.

He should have known better than to do so near Jack O'Neill. He liked the Colonel: he was a man of principles, loyal to a fault, and he had given to Atlantis more than anyone had the right to ask. Jack, in spite of years playing around with explosives, had very good hearing, was a sarcastic bastard, and loved messing with McKay ever since he called Carter a dumb blonde. Sam had forgiven the guy, and even told Jack, that he had grown a lot in Atlantis. Jack was still unwilling to give up one of his favorite games, though.

"While I agree with you on the point that Sheppard has indeed excellent taste in women, I have to ask, what makes you so sure it was a woman?" the General deadpanned.

McKay, Woolsey, and Zelenka choked on their food, their eyes impossibly big. O'Neill smirked in amusement; they were just too easy to get, they were so certain of Sheppard being straight and Kirk that anything out of this preconceived idea left them speechless. Woolsey and Zelenka, holding more information than the rest about the incident, recovered their composure relatively fast while McKay's face was frozen in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Teyla and Ronon fixed suspicious glares on the General. During his visit to Atlantis, Jack had seen Sheppard and Keller together often, and noticeably comfortable with each other. The sight of the pair seated on one of the balconies of the city close together, and Keller's head resting on Sheppard's shoulder had stunned him. He had believed the doctor was dating McKay, and Sheppard wasn't generally comfortable touching people. Then Jack had learned about the problems between the scientists and their break up, and had concluded that Sheppard and Keller were attracted to each other. Last night's events had made it obvious to him that the attraction he had perceived was real, at least on a physical level. Today's discovery of the not-so-broken transporter had convinced Jack that the attraction went beyond sexual interest, and it was in fact of the romantic kind. Something that explained what he witnessed this morning as, regardless of people's preconceptions, describing Sheppard as Kirk was plain and simply ridiculous.

Teyla and Ronon were extraordinarily observant people; he had no doubt they both had seen the pair get closer and their relationship more intimate. McKay was always clueless.

The General wasn't going to tell the physicist that Sheppard was going to start dating his ex. Although, he wanted to keep the rumor mill to the minimum, so he was going to have to do something to keep McKay's mouth shut.

Jack saw Ronon smirk, amused at his teammate's shocked expression. "Think I broke him?" he asked the Satedan.

"Maybe that way he'd shut up about it. Sheppard would kill you if you spread rumors about his private life, McKay," Ronon answered with a harsh voice.

"I'll keep it to myself," Rodney bowed, knowing that his friends were right. John valued his privacy highly. He could respect that. "But… but… He likes women," he babbled still caught in the General's joke.

Jack smirked evilly. "He does."

"But… you said… If he wasn't trapped with a woman, then it has to be a man…"

Jack couldn't hold any longer and laughed at the incoherent scientist. "Relax, McKay, I know you have a big ego but I'm sure even you can see that you're not his type."

"No, no... but… Sheppard, he's Kirk… a ladies' man..." he was rambling confused by O'Neill's teasing.

The General made a supreme effort and held in his laughter, if only to calm the scientist down and avoid rumors.

"McKay!" he exclaimed menacingly to stop his nonsense talk and call his attention.

"I'm messing with your head. Sheppard is not Kirk, regardless of the attention he gets, he rarely returns it. Frankly, I don't know, nor do I care to know about his sexual life, but newsflash, McKay, people can be attracted to both sexes. Leaving that aside, Sheppard was trapped in the transporter with a woman, a blonde scientist to be accurate."

Ronon and Teyla looked at each other, and then at the General wanting confirmation to their suspicions. Jack nodded subtly, and he saw them smile.

"I am pleased for John. It has been too long since he had companionship. Finding a partner will help him, make his life more rounded," the Athosian concluded.

Ronon nodded and grunted to show his agreement.

A dumbfounded McKay argued, "Yes, because nothing says white picket fence and 2.5 kids like drunken sex in a fancy alien elevator!"

"McKay!" the group shouted angrily.

"Sorry. Shutting up. Hangovers make me testy," he apologized in his very own way.

"He left alone," Ronon commented a few seconds later, once a comfortable silence had settled on the table. "If he was trapped in the transporter with someone, where was she?"

"She could have been trapped in the transporter before he was? Or they met on their way from the party to the transporter," Teyla suggested.

"I didn't see anyone Sheppard's interested in at the party. She must have been trapped in the transporter, he tried to go home, and got trapped too," Ronon concluded, telling them without actually saying that Keller wasn't at the party last night.

"Yes, and then the transporter didn't let anyone in or out, until the General and Mr. Woolsey found them this morning," Zelenka filled the gaps.

They all looked at each other puzzled. "Weird," Rodney voiced their thoughts.

Soon after, the conversation died and everyone left; they had jobs to do regardless of their hangovers or confusion over the transporter incident.

On their way out of the cantina, Jack asked Teyla to take some food to Sheppard. "Tell him he has the day off, that both of them do."

"Of course, General," she answered with a smile, pleased with the understanding O'Neill was showing to his subordinate.

* * *

Teyla entered Keller's room so silently not even Ronon would have heard her, and left a basket with food, and a note with General O'Neill's orders. She allowed herself a second to see the couple deeply asleep in the bed covered with a blanket.

Happy to see her friends at peace, she left without them taking notice.


	4. Chapter 4

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Paranoid Lanteans **

Jennifer woke up a few minutes after Teyla left the room feeling hungry. She was very comfortable in John's arms and didn't want to leave his embrace, but her stomach was making its presence clear.

She extricated her body from his arms reluctantly, went to the bathroom, and came back planning to go to her secret stash of sweets, when she saw the basket. She inspected it and found some sandwiches, fruit, and chocolate pudding in it. There also was a note from Teyla telling them that General O'Neill have given them the rest of the day off, and asking her to make sure John rested. The Athosian was obviously worried about her team leader and the high levels of stress he'd been subjected to recently.

It didn't surprise the doctor. After her break up with Rodney, she had spent a lot of time with Teyla and their friendship had grown. Jennifer had confided in the Athosian woman a lot of the problems she and Rodney had faced, the circumstances of their break up, and even the increasing closeness between her and the Colonel. When they had talked about John, Teyla had repeatedly expressed her worry over his work-aholic behavior, his lack of companionship, and the isolation he had forced around himself during the last few years. She had also made clear her approval of their new friendship – though her tone of voice had insinuated that she thought it was more than platonic friendship.

Jennifer heard John move around in the bed, waking up, probably as hungry as she was. She grabbed the basket and moved it close to the bed; then she picked up a couple of glasses, filled them with water, and left them on the nightstand. Satisfied to have everything they needed for lunch near the bed, she sat on it, close to him, and kissed him softly on the lips.

He finally opened his eyes, and a slow smile appeared on his lips, pleased to find her with him. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. Teyla brought us food," Jennifer told him pointing to the basket. "And we have the day off."

"The day off?" he asked confused and sleepy.

"Yep. General O'Neill's orders."

Sheppard groaned in embarrassment. With his body clear of the alcohol from last night, he could feel himself turn bright red at the memory of the General finding them in the transporter, and worst, reminding them of Jennifer's panties. "He'll kill me for being so indiscreet! I'll have to apologize to him."

"I don't think he's angry. He looked amused, you said so too," Jennifer argued.

"Yeah… maybe… it's just… I'm the Military Commander, I'm supposed to … you know… to lead by example. Sex in public places is not a…"

"Good example," she finished for him understandingly. "Ok. Tomorrow you can apologize. I'm sure he'll forgive you. If he was angry or disappointed in you, he would have you training marines today as punishment. He gave you the day off; I think it's safe to say he's ok with it," the doctor reassured him knowing that John didn't want to lose O'Neill's respect.

Sheppard nodded and smiled a little, feeling better. He was sure there would be hell to pay if O'Neill was angry at him.

"We should eat," Jennifer suggested.

"Yeah, I'm hungry," he agreed easily. He wasn't going to think about O'Neill or Woolsey today; he planned on thinking only about the woman sharing a bed with him. "Give me five. I need to go to the bathroom."

Jennifer saw him get up, find his boxers and, putting them back on, walk to the bathroom. She smiled at his recently found shyness, and dug into the basket to find a sandwich she liked.

When he came back, he sat on the bed again and selected his own sandwich. He looked at her shyly, trying to find the right words to say something. "Think we can spend the day together? Or you want me out of here after lunch?"

Jennifer chose a direct approach, instinctively knowing it would be the most effective with the Colonel, who clearly had some self-esteem issues. She punched him lightly on the arm. "I'm not going to throw you out, John! Not to point out the obvious, but you're the one who's overdressed."

He let his head fall apologetically, afraid he had offended her. She was indeed still naked, eating her sandwich in bed, looking content to share her day off with him. "Sorry."

"I'm not angry at you. I'd love to spend the day with you," Jennifer reassured him with a sweet voice and a brilliant smile. He looked at her, and smiled back, pleased to be welcomed to her bed, and her time off.

She kissed him, and soon their food was forgotten in favor of other, more entertaining activities.

* * *

Carson entered the control room, frantic with worry. Jennifer hadn't come to work that morning or afternoon, she was not answering her radio, and something was going on in her room.

"Mr. Woolsey," he said bursting into his office and interrupting O'Neill's and Woolsey's work. "I can't find Dr. Keller and something is going on in her room. I need to contact her and to get some marines to open the door."

O'Neill groaned loudly. _Why were scientists so prone to overreacting? Couldn't the woman take a day off without someone panicking?_

"Doctor, relax!" he exclaimed. "Come in and close the door."

The doctor did as ordered, his face showing even more fear than before, and glaring at his bosses to explain what had happened. Jack could see his brain calculate how many medical supplies he was going to need to save her from the big bad monster that had kidnapped the good doctor in her room.

"Keller has the day off. I assure you, doctor, there's nothing going on in her room… well, at least nothing bad," Jack said in a calm voice, hoping that would help Beckett.

"But she's not responding to my calls to her com, no one had seen her since before the party, and I can't open her door."

"She may want privacy, doctor. Why were you trying to intrude in her personal quarters?" Jack said disapprovingly.

"I used the chimes first, but they didn't even light up. Last time something like this happened…" the doctor explained obviously afraid for Keller. "The door doesn't even accept my medical override. I'm afraid we may need Rodney to open it."

"General, this is the second time a malfunction of this type has occurred in the last twenty-four hours. Maybe we should check that they're indeed okay," Woolsey said worriedly.

Jack smiled; he thought this entire episode was very entertaining. "Relax, Richard."

"They? Who's they?" Carson asked more confused than ever.

"Damn! Keeping this quiet is turning into a nightmare!" O'Neill swore under his breath, especially seeing as Woolsey kept blurting it out. "Keller is with Sheppard. We," he waved his hands between Woolsey and himself, "freed them from the transporter that kidnapped them yesterday. They were perfectly fine."

"I heard about the transporter malfunction. Radek told me it trapped two people inside, and didn't let anyone in when the horde of drunken people wanted to go home from the party," Carson explained. "Jennifer and John were there? Are you sure they are okay?"

"Oh, yeah, they looked perfectly fine, doctor. More than fine, if you get my drift," O'Neill answered with an obvious leer in his voice.

"Oh, really? The lad finally made a move on…"

"Why am I bothering trying to keep it under wraps when everyone seems to know?" O'Neill complained.

"Oh, no, no, General, no one knows. It's just that I spend a lot of time with Jennifer in the infirmary, and I know the Colonel quite well. I'm sure only Ronon, Teyla, and I know how close they've gotten recently."

"Good. Let's keep it that way. I refuse to deal with McKay when he finds out," Jack ordered and the other two men nodded in agreement.

"However, General, I'm still worried that something could have happened to them. Jennifer's door is acting strange."

Jack sighed frustrated. "Teyla took food to them at lunch time. If she had any problems she would have said so, but we'll call her and ask."

Woolsey used his radio to raise the Athosian woman. She was on her way to the control room so she joined them in his office.

"Teyla, did you find Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Keller this afternoon?" the bureaucrat asked.

"Yes, I did. They were asleep and well."

"The doctor here is worried because her door didn't respond to his commands," Jack explained pointing to Beckett. "Did you have any problems like that?"

"No, problems, no. However, something strange happened. I have some free time now, so I decided to tell you about it, which is why I was on my way here when you called me. As you asked, General, I took a basket with food to them, when I saw John's room empty, I went to Jennifer's room, and the door opened for me without my needing to touch the control panel. Also the lights of the corridor dimmed their intensity before the door opened. They were both sound asleep, and as soon as I left the basket on the floor, the doors opened again for me to leave, and then closed behind me."

"Do you think someone was controlling the doors?" Woolsey asked. "Could we have an intruder or a virus that's causing some systems in the city to malfunction?"

"It did feel like someone was in control, but I do not see what anyone could obtain with these actions," Teyla answered as confused as the leader of the expedition.

"Sheppard has a special connection with ancient technology, and this city. He could have been subconsciously controlling everything," Carson suggested.

"Ronon is sure that Sheppard left the party alone, and like you said, doctor, no one had seen Keller since before the party. The most logical conclusion is that she was trapped in the transporter before Sheppard arrived, and both ended up trapped there," O'Neill argued.

"General, could someone have used Jennifer as bait to trap the Colonel in the transporter?" Teyla asked worried. "If so, they are alone in the room, they could be vulnerable to an attack."

"You want my honest opinion? I think the city is playing matchmaker," Jack answered with a smirk.

"John has a special connection with the city, and he always refers to it as 'she', as if it were a person rather than a machine," Teyla commented thoughtfully.

"That's because it's sentient. You people don't have the ATA gene or it's weaker than Sheppard's or mine, but I can feel the city. I feel her very far away, almost like a whisper but the longer I spend here the stronger the feeling gets. By now, after years living here, Sheppard must feel it almost like a part of himself. You may not have noticed but he only touches the control panels of the doors or transporters for appearances sake," the General revealed.

"He could do it with his mind? How do you know that?" Carson asked surprised.

"I can do it with my mind and I haven't been here long. When he noticed that I could do it, he stopped covering it up in front of me," he explained.

"I still would like to make sure that they're indeed well," Woolsey demanded. He was responsible for the expedition, and he would like more assurances than a theory about a sentient city.

"Okay. I assume you ran here from Keller's room, right, Beckett?" O'Neill asked frustrated with the anxious habitants of the city. No wonder Sheppard was so private; living here was like living in a fishbowl.

"Yes, I did. I'm worried, General; these kind of phenomena generally mean trouble in this galaxy," the doctor answer.

"When Richard and I found them, they were asleep. Same with Teyla. I say we give them an hour; then we try again. If nothing happens, we'll pry that door open one way or another. Okay?" the General ordered. He was convinced the city was simply giving her favorite human some privacy, and seeing how the life on this city was, he could understand Sheppard needed some isolation from the craziness.

"You really think the city didn't let me in or even use the chimes to stop me from interrupting them?" Carson asked intrigued by the General's theory.

"After a week constantly surrounded by jarheads on testosterone highs, scientists on coffee highs, and doctors with mother hen's complexes, yes, I'm positive Sheppard needs a vacation on the most isolated island on the most isolated planet without a stargate we can find!" Jack exclaimed firmly, and Carson at least had the grace to look sheepish.

* * *

In Jennifer's room, the couple was indeed taking advantage of the reprieve they had been given, and their recently found shared feelings.

When O'Neill's hour of peace was up, the couple lay together, members tangled, in bed touching each other's skin in a gentle caress, kissing leisurely. Unwilling to fall asleep, unwilling to stop touching or kissing each other, unwilling to lose contact between their bodies, they fought against Morpheus as long as they could.

* * *

Jack was convinced this was a waste of time. There was no point in interrupting Sheppard's and Keller's day off, but he wasn't going to be able to go back to work and actually finish his very boring General's job with Woolsey ever, if a certain panicked doctor he didn't care to name didn't stop harassing him. Since he had promised to pry Keller's door no matter what in an hour, fifty nine minutes later the doctor was already waiting outside of Woolsey's office pacing like a caged animal.

With a sigh, the General had glared at everyone for being a bunch of annoying mother hens, and had directed Carson and Woolsey to Keller's room. He had walked as slowly as possible, stopping to talk with anyone he remotely knew from the SGC, including Lorne who he had talked to for fifteen minutes, just to annoy the anxious troop that trailed behind him. Ronon and Teyla had joined them in case they needed to fight an invader; McKay and Zelenka claimed to be there to open the door if needed; and after his very long conversation with Lorne, the Major had made a run for some C4, and joined them too. Jack didn't know if he should cry in frustration or laugh hysterically.

When they reached the corridor that took them to Keller's room, Jack ordered them to back off and wait behind the corner. He'd go, check on her, and if needed he'd call for them. They seemed reluctant to obey, so he offered to take Teyla with him which appeased them.

"I hope you know this is going to be embarrassing for everyone involved. There's no big, bad alien monster in there. Just a couple enjoying their day off," Jack told Teyla. "Also, let's hope Keller opens the door. If McKay sees Sheppard, he's going to be insufferable. I much prefer if that happens once I'm out of this city, and back on Earth."

"Jennifer and Rodney broke their relationship over two months ago. He has no reason to be insufferable," Teyla answered.

"No argument here, Teyla. Just rational thinking is not McKay's forte when it comes to women; he's not good at controlling his emotions. He's going to be angry, no matter that he doesn't have a right to be, and he's going to be even whinier than he's been already," Jack argued, and the Athosian nodded, agreeing with the older man.

Jack touched the chimes making them light up, and waited for someone to answer. Not receiving a response, he knocked loudly in Morse Code. Again no answer. "It is sound proof, General," Teyla informed him.

"I know. I was hoping Atlantis would give me a hand with that," O'Neill answered. The door started shining softly then, and Jack raised an eyebrow to the Athosian woman. She shrugged unsure of what was happening, and the General repeated his message.

A few seconds later, a disheveled Keller covered with a bathrobe opened the door looking sleepy. She had obviously just left the bed and was noticeably annoyed with it. The room was dark but Jack could make out Sheppard's silhouette on the bed; he was looking the other way and his semi-steady breathing told O'Neill that he was faking sleep.

"Sorry to interrupt, Doctor. My apologies. I gave you the day off, you should be able to enjoy it," Jack said honestly. "However, I'm surrounded by very anxious people overly worried about your wellbeing who are driving me wacko. Could you please wave your hand at them and say that you're okay?"

Jennifer looked at the General. He looked genuinely apologetic for interrupting her day off. "I'm still off, right? There's no emergency or anything?"

"Nope. The only emergency is shutting your friends up so I can go back to work," O'Neill answered, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Okay. Why would they bother you? Couldn't they have knocked or used the radio?"

"Atlantis is interfering with their interfering nature," he answered cryptically. She looked at him in puzzlement, obviously not understanding a word the General said. "Ask Sheppard," this was said in a whisper, and the doctor smiled at the older man's consideration of their privacy.

"Thank you, General, for respecting my privacy," she said with a smile and pointing with her head to the inside of the room conveying that the gratitude was shared by the man in her bed.

Jack nodded, and invited her to do something with the annoying troop waiting several steps away around the nearest corner with a gesture of his hand. Jennifer stepped aside from the General who was blocking their view of the door, and therefore stopping them from seeing her. She waved her hand at them and shouted, "See you tomorrow."

Jack smirked. She had made clear she didn't want to see any of them until she returned to work the next day, and she had done it politely and with a smile. He liked her. Yep, definitely, Sheppard had good taste.

"Goodbye, Jennifer. Enjoy your day off. I am sorry for the interruption," Teyla added with a smile, and they allowed the doctor to go back inside.

Back to the group, Jack glared at them again. "Good. Now I want to go back to work. You should too. No more bothering the doc. Get it?"

They all nodded knowing full well the General was annoyed with them, and left silently without giving more trouble.

"I still don't understand why you couldn't have done that, Carson? Knocking at someone's door too much for your hungover brain today?" McKay asked in a snarky voice.

The Keller Expedition – Jack's nickname for their little troop - was walking down the corridors back to the main towel.

"The door wasn't responding to my commands," Beckett answered defensively.

"I wonder why?" Zelenka asked. "This is the second mysterious glitch in twenty-four hours… maybe we should run an analysis of the systems."

"Probably wise," Rodney agreed. "Could be a virus or something could be interfering with the systems."

"You two do that. You know what they say? Better safe than sorry," Jack ordered.

Teyla, Ronon, Beckett, and Woolsey looked at him in disbelief. He was the one claiming there was no problem, just the city giving a hand to her favorite human.

"What? I have 24 hours left in Atlantis; I want them to be peaceful. It's not much to ask, right?" he said in a lower voice to make sure the two scientists in the front couldn't hear him.

They then stopped glaring at him, understanding they all would get a few more hours of peace while McKay was busy running diagnostics of the city systems. Sooner or later, Rodney McKay would put all the pieces together, and catch up to the fact that Sheppard and Keller were now together, and it was going to take a while for him to adapt to the new situation. They all knew the adaptation period was going to be hellish for them.

Lorne, poor man, looked more confused than anyone else. He was, of course, up to date with the transporter incident, including that Keller and Sheppard had been trapped in it. He guessed the good doctor was still in bed because Sheppard was still in her bed. Having seen them grow closer since Keller and McKay broke up, he wasn't surprised. He could understand General O'Neill wanting to distract McKay from finding out about it while he was still in the city, however, he couldn't understand why he was unconcerned about the malfunctions. He wisely kept his mouth shut until they arrived to the main towel and he could speak with O'Neill in private. As Sheppard's second-in-command he should know what was happening.

Thankfully, O'Neill, even as annoyed with the interfering expedition members as he was, agreed with him, and brought him up to date on his theory. Lorne promised to observe the 'incidents', and to keep McKay from finding out about the newly formed couple as long as the General was in town.

Truthfully, no one in Atlantis was ready to deal with McKay's anger and hurt feelings once it got out. They respected the man, some even loved him as a friend, but he could be a real pain in the ass. If asked, he was one hundred percent sure every member of the expedition would agree to leave Sheppard to deal with the physicist. It was also, in Lorne's opinion, the right thing to do. Sheppard and McKay were friends, they could solve their differences, and they deserved to do so without everyone gossiping about it.

Hoping for a peaceful day, Evan Lorne went back to work feeling happy for his boss. Sheppard deserved a nice lady who could make him happy, and Jennifer was an amazing woman with a tender heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Atlantis' abilities**

Jennifer went back to bed as soon as O'Neill and Teyla left. John turned immediately to encircle her with his arms.

"What did he mean about Atlantis interfering?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Uhm… If they had tried to contact you but they couldn't, the only thing that could mean is that Atlantis has interfered to stop them from bothering us," he said calmly as if it explained everything.

"You mean the city had… What?" she asked confused.

"Probably put some kind of damper on the room that interferes with radio signals so they couldn't raise us with our radios, and locked the door somehow. They wouldn't have gone to the General if they could have used the chimes to call for you or even open it with the medical override," he explained it further. "What I don't understand is why Teyla didn't tell them we were okay. You talked with her before, right?"

"No, I didn't. I saw the basket on the floor. It had a note from Teyla telling us about the day off. I didn't consider it before, but how did she get in?"

"Atlantis must have let her in," Sheppard speculated.

"You're talking about the city as if it was a person," Jennifer commented. There was no judgment in her voice, just curiosity.

"Well… she is sentient… and she likes me," he said with a smug smirk.

Jennifer laughed and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm glad she likes you. It seems to come in handy. She let the food in, but not the interruptions. Except O'Neill and Teyla…"

"She likes O'Neill too. It sounded like everyone was bothering him, and he warned us so you could open the door and no one saw me, no one who didn't know already anyway," he answered. "Another thing Atlantis did. These doors are sound proof; she did something to it to let O'Neill use Morse code."

"Your entire team, Lorne, Radek, and Woolsey were out there," she said as if to agree with him.

"I'm going to have to talk with Rodney tomorrow, you know? If we're going to start something… if you want to… if not… well… I don't like keeping secrets like that from him," he was babbling again. If it wasn't sad to see him so worried about her not wanting him, she'd think it was endearing.

"I would love to date you, John," she answered the unasked question with a warm smile, followed by a tender kiss on his shoulder.

He sighed in relief, and kissed her hair. "Good."

"It's okay for you to talk to Rodney, if you feel you should. Let me know when it happens, please, I'd like to talk to him after that. Unless you want us to talk to him together," she said more a question than a statement.

"No, I think it's better if I talk to him in private. I'll tell you as soon as I've done it," he promised.

His stomach rumbled asking for food. They had gotten distracted after only one sandwich, and he was quite hungry. Jennifer laughed, and sat up to get some food. She was hungry too; one sandwich was not enough food for the amount of exercise they were doing.

Seated on bed, their upper bodies resting on the wall, sandwich in hand, John decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a while now. "I probably should have asked this sooner, but I trust you," he started shyly. "In the transporter when I asked for condoms, you said you are a doctor, at the time it sounded like your way of saying it was safe to go on. Now, my mind is working better. We're both clean, the amount of poking you people do in the infirmary should tell you that much, but what about birth control… did that meant you're covered?"

"Yes, it does. When Rodney and I got together, condoms became annoying, and I decided to start on the pill. Then on Earth I found something I liked better. It's called a vaginal ring; it's local so it requires fewer hormones to work," she told him honestly.

He nodded as he absorbed the information, surprisingly he didn't look embarrassed. It seemed once he had seen the question was well received, he had lost the shy look on his face. Jennifer smiled, pleased to skip the man-embarrassed-by-stupid-things step of the relationship.

"Never heard of that. You wear it all the time? It's safe off-world?" he asked with a thoughtful air around him. "We can use condoms if you want. It's not a problem for me," he added honestly.

"I wear it three weeks, and then take it off during my period. It's made of a soft plastic polymer, and I can take it out and put it in myself. They come in sterile packages too."

John nodded absorbing the information. It sounded safe enough even for missions, and if there was a problem she could take it off easily.

"We've been back in Pegasus for two months and it hasn't been a problem yet," she answered shrugging. "If I change my mind about it, I'll let you know, ok?"

"Okay."

Their food gone and the issue resolved, John let himself relax and lay down on the bed, dragging her down with him. His head found its way to her stomach to rest, and his arms came around to embrace her. Jennifer had to admit it was really cute to see Sheppard acting so sweet. He sighed in contentment when she started playing with his hair. She loved his crazy hair, and she had discovered that he really enjoyed it when she touched it.

* * *

Dinner time arrived for the inhabitants of the city of the Ancients, and two very confused scientists argued while they ate their food. Zelenka and McKay had been running diagnostics on the city systems and trying to explain the glitches with no success.

The two Pegasus native members of Sheppard's team joined them with their trays full of food, and ignored their discussion. They concentrated on their food and their own conversation about the activities that occupied their days.

"Everything is working, Rodney. All the transporters are in perfect working order and have not failed to function again," Radek said annoyed.

"Yeah, then why are Jennifer's and Sheppard's rooms locked out of the system?" Rodney retorted annoyed at the mystery.

"Maybe it's because they both have the day off?" O'Neill suggested joining them at the table with his dinner at that moment.

"And how would the system know that, eh? No, the rooms are close; it could be the problem is isolated in that section of the city. That at least would make some sense," McKay argued.

"Maybe," O'Neill said not-committal. "I think, McKay, that you two need to rest and try again tomorrow," he added pointing to the two scientists.

"I agree," Teyla added. "It is possible the answer to the problem will reveal itself tomorrow when you both have clearer heads." She was glaring at the General obviously trying to convey that she thought he should come clean with the scientists tomorrow before he left the city.

Jack smirked, and shrugged making no promises to the Athosian leader. She glared harder, but the General was not easily intimidated, and he returned the glare.

When their dinner was finished, the two scientists followed the advice they had been given, and went to bed leaving the mystery of the glitches for the next day.

"Sheppard will talk to him tomorrow, Teyla. Don't you worry," the General told her.

"I know. However, it is not fair to have them look for a problem that does not exist," she argued calmly.

"You people keep saying these kinds of phenomena are very dangerous in Pegasus, so I figured better safe than sorry," Jack answered. He shrugged his shoulders as if you say it was their fault for spreading paranoia. "Plus, now I know for sure it's the city. I told her to lock Keller's room again, and to do it with Sheppard's room too."

"You were testing the city," Teyla stated.

O'Neill smirked, confirming her deduction, and taking his empty tray, he stood up and left the table with a simple goodnight to the only two members of Sheppard's team left there.

"I like him," Ronon said about the General. "Sheppard trusts him."

"Me too. I have a difficult time understanding him sometimes, though."

"Good fighter and shooter."

Teyla nodded. Ronon measured everyone by their ability to fight and their courage, and they both knew enough to respect the older man. It didn't stop her from worrying about Rodney and John, and how this was going to affect their friendship.


	6. Chapter 6

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Fight**

Morning found John and Jennifer asleep in each other's arms, tangled in a mess of naked limbs, warm and comfortable with each other.

They'd had enough time the previous day to decide how to deal with the most urgent issues their new relationship presented. For starters, they had decided to start a relationship, something neither of them had expected when they were trapped in the transporter. They would talk to Rodney today, and they would not hide their relationship, however, they would not advertise it either. Neither of them, being the private people they were, wanted to be the hottest topic of the gossip in town. It was bad enough that the incident with the transporter and her past relationship with Rodney were going to make them the center of attention for a while.

They still had many things to sort out together, but they were both satisfied with how things were at the moment.

Jennifer opened her eyes to the new day full of hope at the beginning of her new romantic relationship with John. He was still asleep, though, she could feel his breathing change indicating he would wake up soon.

Feeling naughty, she started kissing his chest intending to wake him up in a sexy way. He groaned deep in his throat, and his eyes blinked open to look down at her.

"Wow," he breathed sometime later.

"Uhm Uhm," she whispered in agreement. She couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

Some good fifteen minutes later, with their breathing under control, they made their way to the shower, got dressed, and ready for the day.

"Breakfast?" John asked hopefully, unwilling to part ways so soon.

"Yes," Jennifer smiled, happy to share the first meal of the day with him. "We should go separately, though. Leave now, and I'll follow you in five."

"You're probably right. I really don't want Rodney to catch us doing the walk of shame before we can talk to him," John agreed.

* * *

John left Jennifer's room without being noticed and made his way to the commissary without a hitch. He found Ronon there, his tray full of food, stuffing his face with it. He smiled in greeting, and sat down with his own tray. Minutes later, Jennifer joined them, and sat besides John.

Ronon smirked knowingly and pleased with the couple. John glared at him questioningly, but the runner kept smiling showing his approval.

"Since when do you mark your territory, Doc?" Ronon teased them, pointing with his hand to the general area of John's neck and collar bones.

The couple blushed, and John covered the base of his neck, where the hickey was, with his hand self-consciously. Ronon's smirk grew impossibly big, unaffected by the couple's murderous glares.

"Big needles," Jennifer said threateningly.

Ronon's smirk was substituted for a fearful expression; and John smiled proudly for a second before going serious again.

"Don't say anything, Chewie," he whispered to his friend. "I'm going to talk to Rodney this morning. I don't want him to learn about it through the grapevine or anyone else that's not me."

Ronon grunted agreeing with his team leader. Though, they were seated so close together that only someone clueless would fail to notice it. He didn't say anything; they would talk with Rodney soon enough, so there was no point in calling them out on it.

Once their breakfast was finished, Ronon left to go train some marines, Jennifer went to the labs by the infirmary – she was working on a research project trying to engineer a vaccine for a common Pegasus illness similar to the chicken pox - and Sheppard made his way to the control area. He wanted to speak with O'Neill and Woolsey ASAP, then Rodney, and then… he probably was going to have to find a way to get in the scientist's good books again.

* * *

Sheppard knocked on Woolsey's office door with more confidence than he felt. Inside, Woolsey and O'Neill stopped arguing to look at the door. The General smirked knowingly at Sheppard, and made a wave with his right hand to beckon him into the room.

"Sirs," Sheppard said politely standing at attention – or as close to it as he ever got - in front of them.

O'Neill's smirk grew into one of pure amusement. "Relax, Sheppard, I'm not gonna bust your balls for a little indiscretion during a party that had most of the expedition completely plastered."

The Colonel seemed to loosen up slightly. "I assume you're here to apologize," Jack's words were more a statement than a question.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Apology accepted," O'Neill answered content with putting the incident behind them.

Woolsey coughed uncomfortably.

"Richard, remember the conversation we had about a certain stick somewhere I'm too polite to mention that you had to lose if you want to do your job here efficiently?" Jack's sarcastic voice sounded full of unspoken meaning in John's ears.

"Yes, I do, Jack. Apology accepted, Colonel," he agreed. "However, Jack won't have to deal with McKay and I will, so I would like to know what your plans are? Are you and Doctor Keller going to start a relationship? What are you going to do about Doctor McKay?"

John's head hung down, he was clearly uncomfortable with the questions. "Yes, we have decided to start a relationship. I plan to talk to Rodney as soon as I'm done here."

"Good," Atlantis' commander said dryly. Jack slapped the bureaucrat on the arm with the back side of his hand. "Congratulations," Woolsey added in a more welcoming voice.

"Yes, congratulations, Sheppard. Good lady you've chosen. Smart, pretty, good sense of humor… I like her. Be nice to her, eh?" Jack said.

"Thank you, sirs," Sheppard answered clearly still embarrassed by the events of the last few days. "Yes, sir, I will."

"You can go, Sheppard," O'Neill finally let him off the hook.

"Please, let me know when you have spoken with Dr. McKay, Colonel," Woolsey added.

"Yes, sir," the Colonel replied and left the office.

O'Neill didn't tear him a new one, and had even protected him from Woolsey. Though, they had somehow made clear that dealing with Rodney was his responsibility, as if he didn't know it already.

* * *

Sheppard's next stop was Rodney's lab where he found the physicist working with Zelenka.

"What are you two doing?" he asked buying some time to think a little more what he wanted to tell his friend.

"We're running some diagnostics on the city's systems. You already know one of the transporters malfunctioned the day of the party, and you may have noticed some glitches in your quarters. What you may not know is that Doctor Keller's quarters experienced some too," Radek explained politely.

The Czech engineer suspected the Colonel knew all this already, and he was probably here to talk with Rodney about Keller. He too had seen the Colonel and the doctor get closer in the recent months since the breakup of her relationship with Rodney. He knew Sheppard had been trapped in the transporter with a woman, then the incident with Keller's room had occurred, and the engineer had deduced that the pair had gotten together when the party or the alcohol had lowered their inhibitions.

John shrugged unsure of what to say. "Radek, I would like to speak with Rodney privately," he asked softly.

"Of course, Colonel. I need a break anyway, I'll come back with lots of coffee," the short man promised, and left the room in seconds.

"What do you want, Sheppard? I have work to do. Your city is messing with my brain. I'm starting to think it's doing it on purpose," Rodney said annoyed glaring at his computer as if it was at fault.

"Rodney, I need you to stop for a minute and pay attention to what I have to say, please. It's important," John said softly but firmly.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. You have my undivided attention," the physicist answered. He turned to look at him worriedly, obviously having caught up to the importance of the situation.

Sheppard took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I'm dating someone. We just decided to start a relationship yesterday, but I'm pretty crazy about her."

"Uhm? Okay… Congratulations, I guess?" Rodney answered shocked by the revelation, and confused as to why the need to tell him in private.

"It's Jennifer," Sheppard told him softly. He didn't want to hurt his friend.

"What? You're kidding, right? I mean what could she possibly see in you?"

"Thanks, Rodney, I appreciate the high opinion you have of me," John said dryly, offended by his friend's words.

"No, no, that's not what I meant… She's not into testosterone fueled muscled cavemen, not that you're not smart too… but…"

"Okay… I'll take that to mean you didn't expect us to like each other," Sheppard cut Rodney's rambling short. He was willing to let it pass; he wanted to be understanding with his friend.

"Are you okay, Rodney?" he asked concerned for his friend.

"No, I'm not. My best friend has decided to date my ex," the scientist answered in a low and sad voice.

"She's your ex, Rodney, she can date whoever she wants," Sheppard pointed out. Logic was the best way to deal with a despondent McKay.

"Yes, but you… You're Kirk, you could have anyone you want, why her?"

John hated when Rodney called him Kirk. It wasn't true, the way he said it was offensive, and he was damned tired of it. It had been years since he had been with anyone in any form of romantic or sexual relationship. He had expected his friend to be hurt, maybe even angry, but also happy for him, pleased that he had finally found someone.

"There are a lot of things wrong with that statement, McKay," Sheppard blurted angrily. "First, you don't 'have' people. Second, there's no need to insult me. And third, because I honestly like her," he said frustrated and furious, in a low, menacing voice.

Then, he turned on his heels, and left the room walking quickly. On his way to his office – he had a job to do and lots of paperwork to fill out – he called Woolsey with his radio to report that Rodney was angry and acting idiotic.

* * *

"Ouch!" Jack said sarcastically. "I guess McKay's not a happy camper and he's lasing out."

"How bad is this going to be?" Woolsey asked concerned about his first team.

"Not as bad as it looks now. McKay will have to get over it. His relationship with Keller ended two months ago, from what I've been told. She has a right to date whoever she wants, including Sheppard. She was going to start dating again sooner or later."

"Yes. And until that happens, what, Jack? We pray he doesn't sink Atlantis in the ocean?"

"Don't be melodramatic, Richard," Jack admonished. "Out of two galaxies, I'm the man with less patience for McKay, but Sheppard seems to have it to spare…"

"It didn't sound like that," Woolsey contradicted.

"McKay probably called him Kirk. He hates it, but he'll get over it sooner or later. They're friends; everything will be okay," Jack reassured the bureaucrat.

* * *

Lunch came and went with Sheppard holed up in his office doing his paperwork. Everyone who saw him knew not to get near him unless it was an emergency, and no one was willing to brave his mood so he was left alone.

Everyone now knew he was dating Keller, and were speculating about the transporter incident and the glitches in Atlantis' system. Most of them were convinced the Colonel had done it unconsciously to ensure their privacy. Though, it didn't seem like O'Neill was angry with their Military Commander, so everyone was in agreement that it was unconscious and involuntary. O'Neill wasn't going to dissuade them of this notion, nor was he going to let anyone do it, because he thought it was safer for everyone involved to keep Atlantis' sentient status and her special relationship with Sheppard a secret.

McKay's displeasure about it was common knowledge too. Not so much because he had been rambling and complaining about it, but because the scientists in the nearby labs had heard their argument and the gossip had spread like wildfire.

Jennifer was oblivious to it all because she had spent the entire morning working in a secure lab deeply concentrating on her job. She had only stopped when her stomach made loud complaints, and went to the mess hall where she was joined by Teyla and Ronon.

They were sharing a nice lunch with Teyla and Ronon, when Radek and Carson joined them.

"Congratulations, Jennifer, I wish you and the Colonel the best," Radek said politely. "You may want to avoid Rodney for a while… he's quite angry," he added apologetically.

"John spoke with him then?"

"Yes, he did. You were really immersed in your research, lass, if you haven't heard the hottest gossip of the day," Carson commented with certain amusement. Jennifer couldn't tell if it was at her ability to ignore the world when she was working or at the situation with Rodney, Sheppard, and herself. She suspected that it was the former, though.

"The clean version says you two are dating, Rodney is angry, and anyone who wants to live a long, happy life should stay away from the Colonel," Beckett summed up. "The adult version involves some very naughty things the overly active imagination of the members of this expedition had come up with that might have happened in the transporter."

"Oh, God! I don't want to know what they're saying happened in the transporter," Jennifer said turning bright red with embarrassment.

"Earthlings have a thing about elevators," Ronon said with amusement. When everyone looked at him questioningly, he added, "Amelia told me."

"Anyway, is Rodney really angry? What happened?" Jennifer asked more interested in the fight the two men had than on the gossip. She was also eager to move the conversation as far away from what happened in the transporter as possible.

"I wasn't there as the Colonel asked for privacy, but from Rodney's ramblings and other scientists' comments I've put together some," Radek started explaining what little he knew. "He told him you two are dating, and Rodney reacted badly. Apparently, Rodney called him Kirk, the Colonel was offended by it and some other things he said, so he, quote, put him in his place, end quote, and then stormed out," Radek explained what he knew.

"That's not good. John hates when Rodney calls him Kirk," Jennifer stated the obvious.

"We know, lass," Carson agreed with her.

"Not true. Sheppard had been a monk for years," Ronon grunted angrily. He wasn't impressed with McKay's behavior, obviously.

"I know, Ronon," Jennifer said. She wasn't sure if Ronon was saying it for her benefit or not, but she wanted to reassure the runner of her trust in Sheppard.

"Radek, what did Rodney say to warrant 'putting him in his place'? It's not as if people weren't used to his abrupt nature," Jennifer asked concerned than the conversation was worse than she has expected.

"You may want to ask one of the scientists in the neighbor labs if you wish to know. I've tried to stay out of the gossip," Radek told her.

Jennifer looked worried, unsure of what to do to help. "Do not fear, Jennifer. They will solve their differences," Teyla tried to console her.

"I hope so," she sighed.

"You may want to brand him again. If McKay sees it a few days in a row, he may get it," Ronon added unsympathetically.

"Ronon!" the two women exclaimed.

"What? They're not dating anymore. If she and Sheppard want to date, it's not McKay's business," he defended his words.

"I have to agree with Dex… Well, except for the branding… too High School for my liking," O'Neill said joining them with a tray full of food. He put it on the table and sat down, smiling at them in greeting.

"General," they all welcomed him to the table.

"Weren't you leaving today, General?" Teyla asked politely but confused by his presence in their city.

"Food is better here than in the New Midway Station. Also Kavanagh is there so I plan to lock myself inside my room for the duration of my very boring stay in the station," he answered smiling at the Athosian. "I'll be leaving after lunch."

Even with the preferred topic of conversation being her new relationship with John, and Ronon trying to get her to admit to having sex in the transporter – mostly because he was amused by her shyness about it and her blushing face – Jennifer enjoyed her lunch.

O'Neill wasn't bothered by it but he didn't let Ronon get too intrusive either, for which the doctor was thankful. Obviously, John had been worried about him unnecessarily; the man adapted easily to new situations, and the complexity of the expedition living mostly isolated from Earth and in a very small community didn't faze him. Relationships between members of the expedition and other nuisances of human nature weren't a problem for him, he found them natural occurrences.

* * *

Once she had finished her food, she decided to take a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of juice to John who was still in his office buried under paperwork. She knocked on his door softly to not startle him, and he turned to see who was bothering him. The moment he saw her, he smiled, though, and invited her to come inside.

Jennifer set his lunch on his desk, and rested her body against it. "Turkey, cheese," she said pointing to each sandwich in turn.

"Thanks," he said and reached for the turkey one.

"How did it go with Rodney?" she asked showing her concern for him.

"Bad. He's being an ass," he grunted. "Sorry, I didn't tell you, I was too angry to think properly."

"It's okay. I was in the lab all morning," she accepted his apology. "We are the hottest gossip in the city, everyone knows about us, and they're speculating about the transporter…"

He grimaced. They were both equally uncomfortable by it. "Has someone been bothering you?"

"Nope, like I said I was in the lab, didn't even learn about it until lunch. Ronon teased me, you should be prepared, I'm sure he'll tease you too," she answered smiling at his concern for her.

"Probably worse," Sheppard agreed. "He's harmless. It's just amusing for him to embarrass me."

Jennifer laughed quietly. Yes, Ronon liked to tease his friends but he would never say anything that could humiliate or hurt them in any way.

"I have to get back to work, and I still want to talk with Rodney, so I have to go," she told him.

"Okay," he replied nodding. "I'll see you tonight?"

"If you want…"

"I want," John answered emphatically smiling.

"Good. Until later, then," she said happily, and bent down to kiss him sweetly on the lips.

It was barely a peck that lasted a few seconds, but it was still the moment O'Neill chose to enter Sheppard's office coughing to call their attention.

"Sir!" John exclaimed almost jumping out of the chair.

O'Neill smirked amused by Sheppard's nervousness. "I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm leaving in a few minutes."

"It was a pleasure to have you here, sir," Sheppard said politely.

"You say that because I took Woolsey off your back for a week, and hid the alcohol for your people to have their party," he deadpanned.

Sheppard smirked unwilling to admit it, yet refusing to lie. He did respect and like the General, and having him on Atlantis had been nice, but he wasn't going to deny those two things gave him brownie points.

"Anyway… Bad news: Woolsey is all yours again. Good news: He's no longer my problem, it's yours."

Jennifer smiled at the dry sense of humor of the General. "We'll miss you, sir."

"Thank you, doctor," he answered with half a smile. "Take good care of Sheppard."

"I will," Jennifer said surprised.

"Well, goodbye," the General said.

He was about to leave the office when Sheppard grabbed his bag from the floor, and a small wooden box from his desk. "Let me, sir. I'll go with you."

"Oh, Sheppard, don't let McKay sink the city in the ocean. If he does, I won't hear the end of it from Woolsey," O'Neill said on their way down the stairs to the active stargate.

"I'll do my best," Sheppard deadpanned.

"Good man."

"Here, Kavanagh hates these," the Colonel said giving his CO the wooden box, a box of Athosian cigars. They were small, and weren't made of tobacco but a somewhat similar plant, but they were nice once in a while.

O'Neill smelled them, and tested the lighter in the box. "Very good man," he said smiling mischievously at the other officer.


	7. Chapter 7

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Date Night**

Jennifer tried to find out what had happened in Rodney's lab between the scientist and John. She wasn't successful, even though she was told that Rodney was angry because his friend was dating his ex, which she already knew, she was unable to find out what John had told him. She had collected, however, quite a few vague comments about 'putting Rodney in his place', about 'Sheppard slash Kirk having sex with the innocent, little doctor', and other unfair judgments and comments about 'friends stealing girlfriends' or 'arrogant scientist's believing they own ex-girlfriends'.

Useless, her investigation had been useless, and so she went to speak with her ex-boyfriend hopping for a better outcome.

"Hi, Rodney," she greeted the man in question. "Can we talk?"

"If you're here to tell me you're dating Sheppard, you're late. He already told me this morning," Rodney answered annoyed.

"I know. He told me," she said softly. "Look, Rodney, I'm sorry you're hurt but _we_ aren't dating anymore… I can date whoever I want… I know dating John must make it worse for you, but…"

"Yeah, I know. He made it clear you could date whoever you want, and I agree. It's just Sheppard could date anyone, why you?"

"So, what? I can date whoever I want as long as it's not someone that makes you uncomfortable?" she retorted getting angry.

Rodney looked at her dumbfounded completely oblivious to why she was angry at him. "What if you wanted to date Carson? He's my friend. Could I claim that it makes me uncomfortable?"

"What's with people? I'm not gay, nor is Carson, by the way," Rodney argued.

"Okay. Doctor Hernandez. She's my friend too," Jennifer corrected her example to appease Rodney.

"But she's not your best friend, is she?"

"Okay. Teyla, then," Jennifer changed her example yet again.

"She's with Kanaan."

"Rodney! That's not the point!" she snapped irritated with his obtuse nature.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "We're all friends. Please, get over it so we can all be friends," she pleaded, and then left the lab quickly afraid she was going to shout at the man some more.

* * *

Dinner was a pleasurable affair for the newest couple in Atlantis. John picked Jennifer up at the lab with the promise of a moonlight picnic, claiming he owed her a proper date. He directed her to the jumper bay, and into his jumper which was loaded with some backpacks and boxes holding who knows what.

"Where are we going?" Jennifer asked puzzled.

"To a nice spot on the Mainland," he told her.

"Woolsey is letting you take a jumper to the Mainland for a date?" she asked in disbelieve. "You don't need to impress me, and you certainly shouldn't do it by angering our boss."

"He did. When I suggested it, I told him this way there was no chance at all of Rodney seeing us. He's so worried about Rodney destroying the city somehow that he allowed us to stay the night as long as we took some supplies to the Athosians."

"Poor Woolsey," she laughed. "So we are going to spend the night in some secret, pretty, make-out spot you know?" she said suggestively, smiling at him.

"I wouldn't call it a secret make-out spot, but it's more than pretty," he answered smiling brightly because she liked the plan.

"Is there any way I can get you naked in this pretty spot?"

He coughed to cover his shyness, but it was plain for Jennifer to see that he liked the idea. "Should we go then?"

"Yes, please," Jennifer answered and used the manual control to close the rear hatch of the jumper.

* * *

The Mainland had some massively green and fertile mountains close to the sea, in an area with abundant white sand beaches. John maneuvered the ship until he found the spot he wanted. It was indeed a beautiful place with a spectacular view, and the doctor was sure the sight in the morning would be breathtaking.

"Wow," she breathed out when John opened the rear hatch of the jumper, and started unloading their supplies.

"Told you it was more than pretty," he answered happily.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. "Thank you." John shrugged uncomfortable with the gratitude the doctor was showing. "Do you need any help?" she offered seeing he was putting a blanket on the ground and settling some containers she guessed had their dinner on it.

"There's no need. We're going to sleep in the jumper. It's cold during the night here and we still don't know enough about the wildlife of this planet, so it's safer this way. It provides shelter and the sensors will warn us if something wants to eat us."

"Ok, so no camping… I could help with the food," she answered.

"Everything is ready and hot," he said pointing to the containers.

"Then we probably should eat before it gets cold," she commented and joined him on the blanket.

The picnic was perfect and, in Jennifer's opinion, romantic. John had packed some candles with the food, and their soft, warm light created a sensual ambient. He had somehow managed to get some veggie lasagna from Johnson – the man was a fantastic cook when it came to vegetables of any kind and his recipes were the first dishes to be wolfed down by the Lanteans – and a very nice selection of fruits.

When the dinner was over, Jennifer kissed him, and soon they were indeed making out like she had predicted before. "See, it's a secret make-out spot," she teased him.

"You're the only person I've brought here for a date," he defended. "Ronon, Teyla, and I found it while exploring… we did some hunting in the mountains… no make-out involved."

Jennifer smiled at his nervousness. The frustration under it was evident to her too, though; he disliked his reputation of Kirk. "Oh, I know," she said confidently and kissed him again.

"John, I know the rumors aren't true, and if they were I wouldn't care. You're a sweet guy, and I like you very much. I don't care if you've dated a lot in the past, which I know is not true, but still, I don't care…" she was rambling and she knew it, so she stopped and kissed him once more.

This time his response was more intense than before, and he kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and lowered them to the floor so he was on top of her holding her body intimately close to his.

Jennifer got her wish, and she got to see and enjoy John's naked body under the stars, in his secret spot. Afterwards, they picked everything up, and went back into the jumper for the night. John had packed an air mattress, and some blankets, so they had very comfortable accommodations.

* * *

The jumper woke them up at the scheduled time, and Jennifer buried her face in John's shoulder and groaned, not wanting to get up so early. John tightened his hold on her, and inhaled deeply smelling her hair before kissing the top on her head.

"Good morning," his voice husky with sleep greeted her to the new day. "We have to get up soon or we won't be in time for an Athosian breakfast." He hadn't moved a millimeter which made Jennifer laugh.

"Would that be bad?" she asked as sleepy as he was.

"A sin."

After a few more minutes delaying the inevitable, sharing kisses, and soft touches, they did get up, clean up, and got ready to go to the Athosian settlement.

They arrived to the settlement in time to unload the supplies with some young boys' help, and then join them for breakfast. Jinto and Wex greeted John enthusiastically, wanting to hear stories of his adventures off-world. The Colonel happily told them some of the more amusing anecdotes during breakfast; and then played a short game of football with some of the children before they had to leave and go back to the city.

He promised to come back next time he had a day off to spend it with the youngsters. Meanwhile Halling and some of those youngsters helped him load into the back of the jumper some things they had for the expedition.

Jennifer observed how at ease he was with the Athosians, both adults and children, and the respect and friendship they showed him.

"We will have a tent for you and your partner next time, Colonel," Halling told him, and then offered the traditional Athosian embrace to the couple. John blushed but nodded and smiled to accept the offer, making Halling smirk with amusement at his friend's shy nature when it came to romantic relationships.

Jennifer smiled too, and thanked the Athosian politely, doing her best to not look embarrassed or surprised by the man's knowledge of their relationship. She didn't know if John had shared the news with his friend or if he had simply noticed it, but she didn't want to offend anyone saying or doing something inappropriate.

"Thank you, Halling. I'll see you soon, all of you," John finally said, and waved his hand to the bunch of children and teenagers congregated to see him off.

They were on their way to Atlantis not even five minutes later. John looked relaxed and happy; he obviously took great pleasure in his friendship with the Athosians.

"Jumper One to Atlantis," he said when they were close. "I'm back, and I have some supplies from the Athosians."

"Roger, sir," Chuck replied. "Someone will meet you at the bay to take care of them."


	8. Chapter 8

**FANCY ALIEN ELEVATORS CAN BE DANGEROUS**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Reconciliation**

The day went by like any other normal day in the city. John had some training to impart, and some meetings with Woolsey, Lorne, and the team leaders; and Jennifer continued her job in the laboratory.

They couldn't see each other at lunch because he was still in a meeting with the team leaders as Jennifer found out when the mess hall personnel took some sandwiches, drinks, and pudding to them. She was happy to share her lunch with Teyla talking about the Athosians, and to her relief with no Rodney in sight. Though, she felt guilty about it.

"I wish Rodney and John could make up," she told the Athosian woman. "Though, I admit I'm angry at Rodney. I don't think he meant the things he said the way they came out… so… I guess I could let it go, if he could accept John and me as a couple, you know?"

Teyla smiled at the babbling woman in front of her. "Rodney is slow to adapt to situations such as this one. I am sure once he does, everything will go back to normal."

"Thanks, I hope so," Jennifer answered thankful to receive some reassurance from her friend.

"If you wish, I could try to speak with both of them. I could persuade them to tell me exactly what happened between them in Rodney's lab, as we still don't know. You should not make judgment based on rumors, and what he told you may not have been what he told John," Teyla offered.

"I'm not sure if I want anyone interfering," Jennifer hesitated. "Although, I don't want Rodney destroying the city…"

"He will not destroy the city, of that I am sure," Teyla said with a soft laugh.

* * *

As Sheppard was in meetings still, Teyla decided to speak with Rodney about their argument. She knew Rodney well enough to understand he was confused and probably didn't know what he had done to anger his friend, or how to deal with the new situation without alienating people.

A few minutes into their conversation, she was proven right. "He told me, I said some things, he said some others, and then suddenly he's angry using his big-badass-Military-Commander voice, and storming out of here," the scientist complained. "Then Jennifer came too and she got angry at me too..."

"I know. Jennifer told me," Teyla replied. "Rodney, you do understand she can date whoever she wants, do you not?"

"Yes. Why would Sheppard date her, though? He could date anyone, he's Kirk, why my ex?"

"Rodney!" Teyla exclaimed. "Please, tell me you did not say that to John?"

Rodney's mouth opened and closed a few times dumbfounded.

"Rodney, John dislikes being called Kirk, or anything with similar meaning. He is not a womanizer - I have been told that is the correct word - even if he receives a lot of attention."

"What? But women throw themselves at him… you're telling me he doesn't sleep with them?" McKay asked confused.

"He does not," Teyla told him firmly.

"But, but…"

"Rodney!"

"Okay, okay, he doesn't sleep around. Got it," he relented in this aspect of the arguments. "Still he gets a lot of offers; he could date anyone he wanted…"

"No, he could not. He wants to date Jennifer, no one else," the Athosian was firm again. "It is not fair of you to decide they cannot date because it makes you uncomfortable. You will have to learn to live with it."

Teyla glared at the man for a full minute trying to get him to understand, and then gave up. She then followed a different route, "He is your friend; they both are. Find a way to accept it for the sake of those friendships."

She then left to allow the scientist to think about her words carefully.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Rodney knew everyone was angry at him because he was being unfair about Sheppard and Jennifer dating. He was being honest, though, he didn't understand why his friend had started dating his ex-girlfriend so unexpectedly. How could he like her so much, to the point of not wanting to date anyone else, so suddenly? Had he woke up one day thinking 'I'm crazy about Jennifer Keller'? Having drunken sex with her in the transporter after a party didn't sound like love to him, yet everyone was convinced otherwise.

After work, he went looking for Sheppard to talk with him about it. He found the Colonel in his quarters naked except for his boxers and with wet hair from the shower.

"McKay," he groaned obviously not in the mood to deal with his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you, privately," he answered trying to look past him to see if Jennifer was in the room.

"She's not here," John said stepping aside for the physicist to come into the room. "I'm meeting her in the mess in fifteen minutes, though."

"No super romantic date today?" Rodney asked bitterly. Sheppard raised an eyebrow in question and warning. The scientist didn't know how he was doing it, but he backpedaled looking apologetically. "I heard you took her to the Mainland last night."

"I did. We never had a proper date, I owed her one," the military man said. He put on his pants and boots while he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah… She is special and you want to treat her right, like a gentleman or something…"

"McKay! Are you here to talk or to insult?" Sheppard said, fed up with his friend's ramblings.

"Talk. Sorry. Look, I know I'm being an ass…"

"Good."

"Jennifer should be able to date whoever she wants, including you," Rodney continued as if Sheppard had never spoken. "What I don't understand is how it happened? You woke up one day liking her, you two had sex in the transporter, drunken sex, I might add, and suddenly you're crazy about her and taking her on romantic dates…"

Sheppard took a deep breath to put his thoughts in order; he sat down on the bed, and put his t-shirt on. Deciding he had stalled enough, he spoke. "It wasn't sudden, Rodney. You broke up with her two months ago."

Rodney still seemed lost, so Sheppard continued talking. "Why is no one surprised? Have you thought of that?"

"I don't know."

"Think about it, Rodney. Ronon, Teyla, and Carson knew immediately, Radek and Lorne guessed pretty soon too…"

"Are you saying you were dating before the party?"

"No. We were friends before that, but after you two broke up, we talked more often, and things changed… we became closer," Sheppard said uncomfortable, not entirely sure of how to explain it.

"You were close friends, then slept together, and then decided you wanted to date?"

"No, Rodney, it doesn't really work like that for me. We liked each other. Then we slept together the day of the party, we talked about it, and decided to date," John tried again.

"That's what I said," Rodney argued confused.

"No, it's not," Sheppard denied it. "We were close friends, yes, but we were…"

"Attracted. You were attracted to her? Like sexually attracted to her or something…" Rodney guessed finishing the other man's sentence when he couldn't find the right words.

"Yeah, we were attracted to each other. Romantically," Sheppard conceded partially to his friend's statement.

"Then you had sex," McKay stated. "At the party. In the transporter. Drunk."

"I left the party, got into the transporter, and… Next thing I know: we were both trapped in there, drinking Tequila. So, yes, we had sex in the transporter. Yes, we were drunk. No, it wasn't because we were drunk and horny." He was explaining the best he could, and he was trying to be patient with his friend, but the scientist was attacking his nerves.

"Really?" Rodney asked his disbelieve clear in just one word.

"Yes, Rodney, we were drunk and horny. No, we did not have sex because of it. We had sex because we were and are attracted to each other romantically," John said firmly putting as much emphasis in the last word as he could to drive the point across. He was reaching the end of his patience about this particular topic.

"Wait! You're saying that you wouldn't have slept with her if you didn't like her? In a romantic, not sexual, way?" McKay asked puzzled. He had always believed Sheppard to be Kirk, a womanizer, who slept with every woman who threw herself at him; facing the truth was quite different was hard.

"Yes," John stated firmly, leaving no room for an argument.

"Oh," Rodney showed his surprise by turning speechless.

Sheppard studied his friend to see if he actually understood him, and he could start moving on from his anger and indignation. The sooner the scientist left those emotions behind, the sooner they could put the argument behind, and recover their closeness.

"Okay," McKay uttered after a few minutes of absolute silence. "I understand. I can deal with it. I just need time to get used to it, so I may be a little more annoying than usual… a tiny bit… for a while… you know, until I get used to it…"

"Good," Sheppard answered cutting Rodney's rambling short. "Good enough for me," he said with a smirk, happy to have his friend back. Standing up he added, "I'm hungry. You coming?"

"No, no, I had something already. Breakfast tomorrow?" The physicist asked as the two men left the room.

"Yep."

* * *

After dinner, Atlantis' newest couple took the long way to the personnel quarters' area, talking about McKay and the talk John had with him before dinner. When they, finally, reached the doctor's room, she invited him in for the night.

"Wanna come in?"

"Yes. I'm beat… too many meetings. I'm gonna fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow," he warned, unsure of what she was offering.

"Okay. You can sleep in my room. My offer doesn't come with any obligations," Jennifer reassured him. She smiled sweetly at him to drive the point across further. "You're always welcome to stay here."

John smiled honestly at her, and followed her into the room. He threw himself on top of the bed with a tired sigh.

Jennifer laughed watching him, "you really are exhausted." His only answer was an intelligible mumbling.

She went into the bathroom for a moment and came out in boxers and a tank top, ready for bed. Her boyfriend was almost asleep with most of his body on top of the covers, his legs hanging from the bed, and his feet, still inside his military boots, on the floor. If it wasn't for the fact that he was occupying the entire bed, leaving little to no room for her, she would have thought it was cute.

"John," she called him a few times before he actually came around. "Take off your clothes, and get into bed properly," she ordered.

He mumbled some more, but did as he was told, and threw his clothes to the floor. In no time, he was clad only in his boxers under the covers. Jennifer joined him – now she did have room enough – and in a couple of minutes they were settled against each other, half asleep.

"Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight," he replied sleepy, and kissed the top of her head softly.

John Sheppard, the tough as nails Military Commander of Atlantis, was a sweet, cute softy, Jennifer thought. She smiled pleased to see this side of him than no one really saw, and fell asleep feeling safe and warm in his arms; sure their relationship was going to be a happy one.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.**  
**This is the first time I write and post this kind of story, so please let me know if you liked it.**

* * *

**Like said in the A/N at the beginning of the story, this story was inspired by "Tequila and Cheetos" by MissJeeve (AO3). I encourage you to read it, even if Jennifer/Sheppard is not your preferred pairing, you won't regret it. It's a lot of fun. I wasn't into these 2 until I read it.**

**Link: archiveofourown works / 155347**


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